Dieting can be a tricky business for anyone thinking about losing weight. Some prefer to cut back on regular food, while others take additional supplements. It is often assumed that big changes lead to big results. In the rush of such thoughts, those insignificant, mundane things that can bring about the decisive breakthrough are often neglected. Green tea is one such thing that can break the thought cycle you’re caught in when it comes to figuring out a diet. Green tea’s effectiveness in weight loss and general health has been studied extensively in the recent past, and numerous studies conducted around the world confirm its benefits for both general health and weight loss.
Green tea helps in lowering LDL cholesterol levels. Health experts consider such cholesterol to be bad for health as it increases the likelihood of heart disease and stroke. In fact, green tea helps increase beneficial cholesterol (HDL) in the body. It is also known to lower fat triglycerides. Put simply, you become slimmer.
Green tea works on two fronts: it increases the antioxidant and anti-cancer compounds in our blood, boosts our immunity, while its regular use has been shown to lead to weight loss. Recent research reports show that green tea offers fifty times more health benefits than vitamin E and C supplements! Certain studies have also proven that drinking a cup of green tea every day for a year can result in visible weight loss: up to five pounds a month!
How much?
It’s safe to say that you can drink as much green tea as you like. People have been known to drink up to twenty cups of green tea daily with no side effects! If you have decided on a decaffeinated variant, do not compromise on your diet either. In general, it is recommended to replace the daily coffee with green tea and to drink an additional cup in the evening before going to bed.
Brewing green tea at home
The method you use for its preparation has a huge impact on the actual green tea. Smaller tea leaves have a better infusion and boil faster. Many people often use tea bags, although loose leaves are more useful. To get the most out of tea bags over the long term, they should be continuously immersed to extract maximum levels of polyphenols, which contain a high concentration of antioxidants.
If tea leaves are used, they should be fully submerged in hot water and not allowed to float on top. Short durations lead to higher caffeine levels and low polyphenols. Therefore, longer soak times should be used to increase polyphenols and achieve the best results.
Finally, once any type of sweetener is added to green tea, it completely kills the entire diet benefit of green tea. Be it honey or regular sugar; do not drink sweetened green tea. However, if your taste buds can’t accept the bitterness in any way, as a last resort, choose the herbal substitute “Stevia”.
Thanks to Saman Rashid
